


Counterfit Conciousness

by Red_Fabric_Larceny, TheBean170



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Basically everything looks like the 80s, Casette Futurism, F/F, If anyone knows what that means, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, polution, smugglers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2020-12-22 16:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21079976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Fabric_Larceny/pseuds/Red_Fabric_Larceny, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBean170/pseuds/TheBean170
Summary: In a wounded and polluted word where cassette tapes, walk-mans, and CRT monitors count as contraband, the government is run by scientists, and smuggling groups spread throughout the nation, someone will try and bring right to the environment and, just maybe, bring peace to the turmoil.





	1. The Sky Glows Gray this Year

**Author's Note:**

> If you notice any distinct change in quality of my writing (More notably going from okay to absolutely spectacular) that is because this time around I'm not doing most of the writing! 
> 
> That's right, my good friend and beta reader Sauce is collaborating on this with me and is so far doing incredible! Please show them support, the stuff they're doing here is absolutely amazing!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A waitress makes her living in a wounded world.

Few rays of sunlight ever got through the clouds of Beach City.

The pollution in the skies made it quite hard in the morning for light to streak through, making it more dark and quiet in the mornings. The darkness often kept many who slept through the night deep in their slumber, not wanting to wake and face the world they found themselves in.

It was a common occurrence for many.

Peridot Carter had said slumber shattered with the incessant beeping of her alarm.

Smart Peridot knew that putting it on the other side of the room would force her to get up and turn it off, thus properly waking her up.

Sleepy Peridot does not like Smart Peridot.

She feebly fumbled and stumbled out of bed for the source of the racket, her eyes glued shut from the heaviness of her sleep deprived eyelids and the gunk accumulated overnight, complementing the bags that had been starting to form for the last month.

She found it. An alarm clock on the nightstand blasting 80's, 90's, and more whatever than ever before, the lack of actual music made her contemplate why she even set it to radio in the first place. She smacked it in the general area the off button probably was, getting it to shut up and allow her to go back to sleep when her eyes flickered open and saw the time.

8:40am.

Peridot's shift started at 9am.

"Goddammit!" She yelled, shoving the sheets she yearned to nap in and rebounding off of her bed to run to the bathroom.

She hopped into the shower and quickly refreshed. Scrambling, she got out and ran to put her uniform on, multitasking shoes and shirt while zipping up pants and throwing a jacket over it as well. Rounding the corner like an f1 racer, arms outstretched like an airplane while grabbing the stuff she needed for her work day, she picked up her keys, a small satchel and headed for the door.

The fluid motion of preparation was halted by the small envelope with familiar handwriting on her mail pile. Without thinking she grabbed it, then flung the door open and dashed out of the apartment like a blonde blur. She made her way down the flights of stairs and left the building, only taking the time to slow to a walk when she was sure she had time, towards the tram station she needed to take.

With a little skip every crack in the sidewalk, she passed by the array of other people on a similar commute dressed for their profession, all meant for different kinds of jobs. Peridot made a game out of it to pass the time while she walked, to guess who does what and where they're going. Some of them were easy, the bright vests and helmet clad workers with keys in hand were always heading to their trucks and bulldozers to build new district stores, plant trees, install solar panels. The people with suits always took effort to recognize, but there was a tier list she made from who was a lawyer to an office worker.

The pace she walked at turned the tall, faded buildings, all built with angled architecture from a bygone era, into a slow transition from faded color to faded color. Looking at them, it was evident which houses were still lived in depending on how fresh the paint was. The grayest houses were the saddest because of how Peridot viewed them as lost to time and, like the colors, the memories inside were faded and grey

She finally got to the tram station, a simple platform with a roof and one bunch of suits and briefcases. Many other people bunched up on the platform, waiting for the train. Peridot came up besides the other people, all of them taller than her so that when the tram finally arrived, the only indicator of the doors even opening was the shove of the mob of workers. Even if it was old, rickety, and breaking down, it was tolerable with how the rusty orange stood out. The result of the moving wave had Peridot stuck, almost pressed, up to a window.

"Augh, watch it you clods…" She grumbled to herself.

After pushing back and getting some space, Peridot looked down at the envelope in her hands. She recognized the almost sideways, smudged handwriting on the front. It was from her sister, and as a sense of nostalgia washed over her, she opened up the letter.

** _Hey Peridot,_ **

** _It's Emerald, just making sure you aren't dead; which, I will admit, would be a lot easier if you actually replied to my letters, dickhead…. How Beach City? Is the endless grind working out well? What insane new nerd crimes have you been up to?_ **

** _Me? I've been doing great, thank you for asking. Security's been a bit tight as of late, things with the Retro Rebels are starting to spook the Diamonds and such. So less people have been coming to the Capital. But less people means easier job, so at least I got that going for me._ **

_'I hope they give her a better apartment. With how much work she puts into her occupation, they should give her a whole apartment block.'_ The blonde thought, lamenting the troubles her sister went through.

_ **Speaking of the Capital, we finally got the last major industrial plant taken down! (I take credit for everything and I expect my Nobel prize in the mail). But for real, Air cleanliness is now up by… half of a half a percent I think? Which is good, I guess. The thing was an eyesore anyways.** _

A sudden bump in the rails jolted Peridot, causing her to look up briefly from the letter.

In the brief moment's view, a large factory in the distance passes by in her window. A bunch of workers swarmed around it like ants, while simple cranes and machines worked to remove huge chunks of the building. Peridot looked away with a shake of her head and kept reading.

_ **Oh yeah, I also got a promotion! That's right, senior head of emigration and security, biatch. I got a better apartment, a functioning dishwasher and this time I got a radio! Fully spaced too. My living room now has its own actual room, which I will never share ever..** _

_ **What else? Um… There's been some missing posters for a puppy over here, Small little orange thing. She's cute looking, Your kind of dog. I only mention it because of how one pops up on every street corner I see.** _

The blonde chuckled to herself. The dog did sound pretty cute. And it was a relief to hear about that upgrade in apartment. Separating the kitchen from bedroom at least encouraged Emerald to actually get up once in awhile, and as long as the warranty lasted on the aforementioned dishwasher, her worries were drying up.

_ **But I'm gonna be honest kiddo… There's really not that much going on in the Capitol. Pretty calm recently. The occasional misbehavior if I'm lucky.** _

_ **…** _

_ **Buuuuuuuut, the offer still stands. I'll buy you the tickets if money is a problem. Take a few days off and come visit the new place, so you can be the one on the couch this time, haha. We can go to some of the open museums and hell, maybe we'll find that one restaurant you like.** _

Her face grimaced slightly as she read that last part of the letter

_ **Take care, Peapod.** _

_ **-Emerald.** _

_'I really should write her back. I can't neglect communication like last time.'_ Peridot thought to herself, folding the letter and pressing it to her mouth before putting it back into her jacket pocket.

Finally, she heard the tram driver yell.

"Now arriving, Downtown Beach City!" As the tram grinded to a halt.

Peridot and a couple others got off at the station, while the rest stayed on.

Not many people still worked in the Downtown district, and it was odd to see the frequent shift in scenery from longing nostalgia to hope for new potential. Through the washed out buildings, most empty and boarded up, she shivered. It was surprisingly cold, even considering the usual morning chill.

When she finally reached her job, the small building labeled 'Zoo Diner' stood amongst an empty lot and the angular concrete towers, loud and proud with its burgundy trim and cream colored base. The open sign, hanging by a thread, was flipped just how Peridot had remembered, turning over with just the right force behind the door.

As soon as she walked in, she saw her boss standing behind the front counter with an angry expression. An unwelcome sight, but an expected one.

"Ms. Carter! You are currently _ten_ minutes late to your job and we're _thirty_ minutes out till opening! You better have a _damn_ good excuse!" Her way of scolding, with emphasis put on every grievance poked at Peridot like a small dagger making her way to the counter, picking up the small clipboard on top of it.

"Oh no, ten minutes? What a tragedy…" Peridot mumbled under her breath, 'clocking in' her hours on the worksheet on the clipboard.

"_What_ did you just say to me?!" Holly barked again.

"I said I woke up late, Ms. Blue. Sorry for wanting to get a few extra minutes of sleep." The blonde said, already exasperated with her boss.

"Young lady if you want to keep your job-"

"If you fire me, there'll be literally no one else to cover the position. You're lucky I even applied at all."

That got her to shut up.

Satisfied with the retort, or lack thereof, Peridot went into the kitchen, clean as it would ever get, excusing the more permanent rings and stains from days long gone. She lightly tossed her jacket on a coat rack, started up the rattling coffee machine, and put in some toast into the toaster for herself. She saw two of her coworkers, the sisters Janette and Janice Jade, already working the grills. She waved at them, and they smiled and waved back.

"Hey, Peri! How's it hangin'?" Janette said, pounding out the lumps of some pancake batter.

"Same smog, different day." Peridot responded, grabbing some dishes to restock the front counter. "Is Greg here yet?"

"Yeah, he's scrubbing the bathrooms out right now." Janice responded, using a brush of her hand to work as a directing point. Peridot acknowledged it as such and walked out of the kitchen.

She restocked the front counter for dishes and other stuff while eating her toast and drinking her coffee in alternating bites and sips. She did the rest of her duties before walking over to properly unlock the front door of the diner.

Somebody walked in, one of the worker ants straying from the colony. Peridot greeted him and led him to a table.

"Can I get a cup of joe and some toast?" He asked, resting his arms on the table.

"Sure thing! I'll get that started right away!" She replied in a faked cheerful tone. She walked back into the kitchen, prepared as much, and carried them back out.

"Here you are! That'll be three Units." She said, placing the items down in front of the man.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card, handing it to the waitress.

"Here you go." He said, taking a long sip of his coffee. "Oh. Oh that's good. Especially after the night shift, you know?"

"Of Course."

Peridot went over and plugged the card into the Capital Monetary Register, or CMR for short. It was a clunky looking machine whose circuitry was based on Old World tech.

She waited for a few moments for the pay to go through. The machine glitched for a moment, earning itself a smack.

"Work you hunk of junk." She grumbled.

Once the payment went through, Peridot brought the card back to the man. He left to resume his indistinguishable job while more people started filling in. They all ordered different things, and Peridot attended all of them; before she knew it, it was already 1:30pm.

"Peridot! Despite your _tardiness_ this morning, you can go on break." Holly Blue coughed out, still working behind the counter.

"Thank you, Your Elegance." Peridot said in a sarcastic voice, complete with curtsey.

"Greg! You can go on break too!"

A janitor with wild hair, wearing a black shirt with ripped sleeves and a yellow star, popped his head out from the kitchen doorway. "O-Oh, thanks!" He replied, putting a mop down and wiping his forehead.

Both workers made a cup of coffee each and grabbed a plate of leftover toast and eggs. Peridot grabbed her satchel to keep in her lap as they sat down in one of the empty booths.

Peridot pulled a notebook and paper out of her bag. She opened it up to the first blank page and started writing.

"So, how's the degree been going, Peridot?" Greg asked, sipping some of his coffee.

"Oh, it's progressing quite well, Mr. Demayo. I'm about halfway through the course by now, so there should only be a year or two left now." The blonde responded, not looking up from her notebook.

Greg tried to nonchalantly peek at the writing, but all he saw was complicated math and sketches. Peridot noticed this and tried to cover part of the book with her arm.

"And how are the guitar lessons going?" Peridot said in a slightly hushed tone.

"Oh, they, um… Well, I've been getting a lot better. But it's kind of hard to attend lessons with all the work and such. Plus, I think the lesson lady might be being… 'watched.'" Greg responded, going slightly shifty.

"Mmm. Well, I wish you all the luck in your endeavors." The waitress said, taking a bite of her toast and eating a bit of her eggs.

"Same to you, Peridot." The busboy said, finishing up the last of his meal.

Peridot kept writing in her notebook. She made confused and frustrated noises at it sometimes ever few words or strokes of the pencil. The jolt of her manager was expected as soon as the clock hit two.

"Alright, you had your half hour. Back to work!" Holly Blue yelled.

The two brought their dishes to the kitchen and returned as instructed.

Business picked up again near the evening. All the work shifts had ended, and people were expectedly hungry. Peridot waited on all of them, and they came and went.

It was now night, 10:30pm, and Peridot went to the back of the kitchen to help Janette and Janice clean up the last of the dishes. When she was done, she grabbed her things, 'clocked out' her hours on the front counter clipboard and turned to bid adieu

"Goodnight, Ms. Holly Blue." Peridot said, leaving out the front door.

"Goodbye, Ms. Carter. And _please_ be here _on time_ tomorrow!" The boss said, locking the front doors and returning to the kitchen.

Peridot shivered in the cold, feeling the isolation that the lights from inside gave in contrast to the inky black she stood in. She held her jacket closer to herself so the chill wouldn't wring her dry. She bustled back over to the tram station with a less open demeanor and waited for the tram to roll back into the station before she got on.

There was barely anyone on the tram. Everybody had night shifts these days, but at least Peridot actually got to sit down on her way home.

The tram came to a halt, the normal squeak sounded more like a screech when paired against the silence of the eve.

"Now arriving, Westside." The tram driver said in a slightly softer, groggier voice.

Peridot grabbed her satchel and walked back home to her apartment. All the lights of the buildings, including her own, were already out.

_'Stupid, cloddy power outages.'_ She thought as she unlocked her front door, stepping inside and closing it behind her.

She looked over the mess that was her apartment. With how the shadows cast over the furniture she almost expected to hear her parents appear in the hallway to question where she had been. She hobbled over and flopped on her couch at sucked her in and put invisible weights on her arms.

She thought about the possibility of pulling out one of her inventions, a small Battery Pack, to at least get the lights back on, but decided against it. It would look really suspicious if her house was the only one without power in her district.

_'Plus, where there's darkness, there's a Diamond Raid. And I sure as hell don't want to be caught with… my other projects.'_ she thought as she rested her eyes.

She thought about staying there on the couch, but decided that the bed would result in a better feeling when she woke up. She got up from her couch and drew the blinds on her apartment windows, circling around to her bedroom. She shuffled past by the dark green door that led somewhere else, passively tracing her hand around the knob and grooves.

"Looks like we're not getting any work done today, Greenie." Peridot murmured, dropping her satchel somewhere on the ground as she sluggishly made her way into the bedroom. She took off her uniform and slid into a loose white t-shirt and green alien shorts.

In only a few moments after hitting the pillow, she was asleep.


	2. Smuggler's Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A thief begins the road paved with "good" intentions.

_Click_. _Whirrrrrrr. Click._

"_When I look back, boy, I must've been green. Boppin' in the country, fishing in the stream…"_

Lyrics from a song leaked from a Walkman's headphones, loud and energetic, the only break in the silence of the morning. A scuffed, alternative woman sat atop the roof of her home, listening to one of her old favorites. She dangled her legs over the crooked edge. She watched over the barren, dead land beyond come to life within the factory borders as the early sun lit the skies in a bright pink, peach undertones peeking through giving her hair a deep indigo shade.

_"Looking for an answer, trying to find a sign, until I saw your city lights, honey, I was blind…"_

She kept listening to her music, the Walkman nestled next to her. She enjoyed listening to the music, her special song was saved for when she particularly needed a break from the rest of the people she dealt with everyday. Of course she loved them like family, but she liked her alone time too. Solidarity was just a part of her.

_"You better- get back, honky cat! Better get back to the woods!"_

She held up her hands as if an invisible piano was placed before them, pretending to play along with the song. The dark blue bottoms of her shoes hit the wall below the edge with every rhythmic swing of her foot to add bass the Walkman couldn't provide. A discrepancy was heard somewhere in the background beyond her music, but she didn't consider it more than a skip in the tape.

_"Well, I quit those days and my redneck ways. And, oooooooh, the change is gonna do me good~"_

She kept "playing" her piano, She heard it again. She looked to the Walkman, giving it a small, confused tap before she kept going. She closed her eyes to fall deeper into the music which lasted until she heard the noise a third time and looked down from the roof.

At the bottom, a woman stood popping the collar on her jacket. Tall, muscular, with surprisingly soft features hidden with extensive makeup was one of her fellow rebels, Jasper. Her thumping fist, the source of the noise, accompanied her passive but slightly annoyed expression, enough to get the perched crow to remove her headphones on instinct.

"Good god Lazuli, Are you ever gonna come down from there or am I gonna have to go up there and get you?" Jasper gruffly huffed.

"Ungh, what do you want, Jas? I'm trying to _relax_ up here." Lapis dismissed in return, her headphones hanging on her neck.

"Well breakfast is ready and you've been saved a plate, _not by my request mind you_. So when you're done being the Loner Lapis we know and tolerate, come down and get it." Jasper gave a parting thump onto the rusting sheet metal went back inside the building Lapis was on top of.

Lapis shook her head and picked up her Walkman. She clicked the cassette off and slid it in her jean pocket, the only pocket with a close enough fit so it didn't fall out the second she let go of it. She rose to a squat and crouch-walked off the roof, using a rusty pipe to slide down from the top. She let herself spin near the bottom for fun before letting her feet hit the ground, dusting off her already worn leather jacket. She looked back at the building, a large, defunct factory, with cracks and rust and small plant life starting to grow on it.She walked towards the metal door on the side, pushing it open and making a small hop past the fine crease meant to separate inside and outside. It lead to a dingy hallway, only lit by a mismatched patchwork of candles that for each type produced a different amount of light. Many similar doors lined it, all leading to empty rooms that had been cleared out long ago. Lapis skulked down it to a particular set of double doors in front of her where she shoved it open via foot and went inside.

The cafeteria room, once for workers and now a place for vagrants. As one of the 'cleanest' rooms in the building, The most notable feature within it was the large hole in the roof that provided an excess of natural elements and decent light. A long time ago, the room used to be filled with many long tables, but as other, better uses were found for the wood, metal and plastic, now one medium, plastic table sat in the middle of the room. There were already a few people sitting down at the table, jabbering loudly and making the noise one expects to hear from a group of women. Lapis looked around for an empty seat, finding one. She walked over and sat next to a person with such bags under her eyes you could rest a kidney bean on them and they'd stick, much like the unruly, faded, purple hair that occasionally found it's split ends to provide irritation. She perked up at Lapis when she sat down and lit up like one of the hallway candles, a faint jingle coming from her baggy pockets every time she moved.

“Hey, L! Enjoy your morning?” She asked.

“As much as I could, Ames. But grumps will be grumps, _coughJaspercough_, you know. What's on the menu today?" Lapis asked with a resounding huff, dropping her arms on the table.

"Dunno. I think Skinny nabbed some eggs for the group this morning though, the saint." She replied.

Lapis hummed in an agreement of sorts and turned towards the door leading to the kitchen, waiting for the chef in question to pop out.

After a little more time of waiting, a lanky girl, quite similar in appearance to her athletic sister, with her platinum blonde hair and soft features, popped out of the door, pushing a cart full of pots and plates. The table cheered and thumped the wood as the food came closer.

"Alright, alright, settle down, you ruffians!" Skinny shouted,halting the cart at the beginning of the table. "Now while it is true we got some eggs, we don't have a lot. So, we’re gonna portion them out. There are plenty of veggies though, so have your fill there!”

Slowly, the food was passed out to the family of rebels. The eggs went as fast as possible, with two people almost getting into a squabble on what was considered theft and what was 'fair trade'. When Skinny passed a plate to Lapis in particular, she popped a hip and rested her rubber gloved elbow on the table, keeping a leg out to protect her cart. She raised an eyebrow, her tell before making a snarky joke.

"Wow, the stars truly have aligned if the both of you were up for breakfast at the same time. Where's my sister gone off to then, if not chastising you while this miracle occurs?" The two looked at each other in vain for an answer, turning back in sync.

"Jasper? I just saw her, she was calling me for breakfast. Perhaps she's touching up her makeup or, I don't know, she's skipping." The group beside them overheard it and a few of them turned their heads to butt in.

"Jasper doesn't _do_ meal skipping, _especially_ not when Skinny cooks, lest she hurt her _wittle baby sister's feewings."_ One of the others mocked. Skinny scoffed.

"Emphasis on _her_ baby sister, Aisha, I hardly take offence when people skip out to work."

"Oh, is that why those two get the small parts of egg then?" They all chuckle, considering the discrepancy.

Suddenly, the hallway double doors swung open again with a weight that made everyone silent. A woman walked in, with Jasper trailing right behind her with smaller strides to compensate for the other's more casual pace.

The woman, described as akin to a well aged Jasper, had toned shadows of what was muscle, with a warm but preoccupied look all the time. She wore the number one winner of worn jackets, skillfully stitched together by hand where places had been torn, same as her jeans. She scanned the table and gave an assuring nod, allowing her pink curls to bounce in front and stay frozen in back.

"Mmm, good morning everyone. I trust that most- oh- _all_ are present." She corrected herself, trying not to side-eye Lapis and Amethyst, as the group nodded.

"We have a busy day today, so I'm going to get right to it." She approached the table. "Once everyone's done eating, meet up in the Central Hall. We have a lot to go over."

She turned and left. Jasper spoke up.

"You all have fifteen minutes. Hurry. Up."

As she was followed by Jasper out of the cafeteria, everybody scarfed down their food double time. Everybody except Lapis, who took her time. She knew that Jasper wouldn't try anything against her, even if her threats and dirty looks suggested otherwise. As such, once the group was done eating, they all rushed to the room in question while Lapis simply walked, with Amethyst accompanying.

"Yo, do you think this is about the Beach City route?" Amethyst asked.

"Hmm… maybe. Been awhile since we heard anything about it, since the scouts sure took their time. Can't wait for Rose to give _them _a lecture for once." Lapis responded, heading up a staircase two steps at a time to the second floor.

The two kept walking in the factory's second floor until they reached another set of identical doors. They were the last people in, as the room was already filled with the same faces, less like wolves and now like trained army hounds.

The refurbished office was a debriefing room, with walls filled with maps and traced pathways, tables with paperwork, and a centralized area at the very front for the speaking member. They sat down in the empty chairs, Rose at the front of the room. Jasper eyed the two judgmentally.

"Good, now that we're all here we can begin," Rose said.

"As of yesterday, our scouts have returned from Beach City. Later than hoped, but not as much so the schedule will be affected," A brief pause, a small collective sigh that the scouts didn't get the reprimanding people were wanting.

"And according to the reports, the city has had a severe lack of Diamond Presence, a prime market for our goods, and possible sightings of an Old World tech hotspot… fit for a run."

The room murmured with a sparkling excitement, even Lapis was interested. It had been quite a while since they did a run.

"As such, we'll be moving forward with our operations, and heading towards the city tonight." A new murmur of apprehension mixed within the pack. "Beach City is farther away, especially considering new demolitions and landscaping in the northeast area. We need to move tonight if we wanna take advantage of these opportunities."

"And if anyone has any objections, they can stay behind and count stock with Carnelian." Jasper growled. The group settled down, while a small 'aw, man' came from Carnelian in the back, because after the first few times she stopped resisting the urge to vocalize _her_ objections.

"Alright then. We need to move fast if we want to get our work done today and move out by tonight. We'll be assigning roles now to be most efficient."

Ears perked up. Lapis rolled her eyes. She already knew they weren't gonna let her do anything important. More than likely, she would be back on counting stock.

"So, first things first. Everybody, and I do mean everyone, will be helping loading up stock for our caravan. After that, a few people will be staying behind to help with upkeep. As said before, Carnelian is the boss there. Snowflake, Larimar, and Ainsley**,** you'll be staying too." Rose said. The people named grumbled before settling down

Lapis's eyebrows raised. She thought they'd leave her behind, especially after last time. What're they gonna do with her?

"For our own security personnel, the Ruby squad and Jasper will head up the rooftops. They'll also be in charge of ensuring our contacts let their clients know we'll be in town. Larimar and Skinny, you'll be scouting out our 'market stall' when we first arrive, and then will be in charge of securing Old World Tech."

The other two groups nodded, The Rubies especially snickering to themselves. The lot of them were almost identical in appearance, with a few key differences between them, save for their red overalls and untamed afros.

"Finally, Amethyst**, **Abigail, Adelaide, and Lapis will be in charge of running the market."

Lapis looked around, with genuine intrigue. Everyone else seemed surprised that Lapis's name was mentioned within that group as well, even Jasper was shocked.

"R-Rose, I thought we agreed that Lapis was going to-" Jasper started to say, before Rose raised a hand.

"I know what I said, but the reports mention that there's massive potential here, and I need one more capable person on the market." Rose looked to the individual in question.

"I trust that you won't make the same mistakes as last time, Lapis."

"Y-Yes, Rose." Lapis stuttered. Not out of fear, Rose didn't intimidate Lapis as much as others, but rather out of shock.

"Aw, hell yeah! You're with me, Lap!" Amethyst bumped her shoulder with a whisper shout.

"What're we taking for merchandise?" Skinny asked, making a plan for what to load on the caravan.

"As much Tech as we can fit. Don't bring much of anything else, maybe three crates of clothes and two crates of knick knacks. This one is gonna be a big tech run."

The room was silent again, everyone's rogue minds made lists of items they had hoped for, or could perhaps snatch for themselves. Jasper spoke up before too many cogs fit into place.

"You know what to do! Let's get everything set up, we'll only have a few hours before we leave!"

With that, everyone quickly rose and left the room. Lapis stuck to her more lax ways and was about to follow suit as the last one out when Jasper grabbed her by the arm, much to Lapis' surprise

"Listen Lapis, remember that the only reason you're on market duty today is out of desperation. You're gonna follow orders or I'll walk you back to the tunnels myself, and after that you're right back on counting stock." She said to her, narrowing her eyes.

Lapis pulled her hand away. "I don't need another lecture, and especially not one from you." She said angrily.

"Jasper," Rose said, looking down at a set of blueprints.

"Leave her be, it's not your place."

Jasper's expression tightened into a grimace before she walked back to Rose. Lapis took one deep breath to restable her temper and headed out of the room, just catching a hint of "You don't speak on my behalf." Come from Rose before the doors shut behind her, where Amethyst was waiting. "Heard bits of that. What happened?" She asked.

"Just Jasper trying to get me not killed in a dickhead kinda way. Nothing entirely new." Lapis grumbled, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

"Eh, look on the bright side. You're finally back on market duty, it was so boring without you, man! We're gonna get to mix things up, just like old times!" Amethyst cheered, with a fist pump in the air, one which Lapis caught in her palm.

She chuckled at the notion. "We are most certainly not, Amy. Not while I'm on as thin of ice as I am right now."

"We aren't?"

"No."

"_Sigh,_ okay, you have a point."

"... Well not today at least."

After many hours of work, the caravan was set, two sets of railcar skeletons welded together. It's main use was a holding place for the boxes of merchandise piled on to allow moving to go faster, and since the factory had its own railway, the tracks also moved goods to other cities. Unfortunately, as the railcars were unpowered, they had to be pushed. Jasper and the Rubies usually took care of it, which is what they were doing now asThe Caravan was placed onto the old railways, leading off into an old tunnel in a hillside.

The other members gathered around, flashlights illuminating the ground covered by night like a group of campers on a midnight hike. Crickets chirped, cicadas buzzed, and dirt crunched under the boots of the group.

Rose exited the factory almost ceremoniously, walking over to the railcars with binoculars hung around her neck. Jasper was already outside waiting for her, offering a hand to help her up onto the front car.

"Is everything ready, Jasper?" Rose asked, taking her seat on the rough idea of a legless cushioned chair, a birthday gift from the girls years back.

"All stock accounted for. Everyone who needs to go is ready to go." She said, which seemed to relieve some of Rose's tension as she sat down.

"Thank you, Jasper. Did the Rubies get their waters?"

"Yes, and I have extras packed in the back in case they drink it all again." The elder woman placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a firm pat as thanks.

"Good. Good. Let's get moving."

Jasper nodded with a smile that made a part of her fatigue melt off, before turning on her heel and making the march down the cars, sliding past the gaggles of girls till the voices turned to the smaller, rougher voice of the Squad, all picking on each other as usual.

"It's nighttime, Reagan. You don't _need _sunglasses!"

"Rudy, you don't know that. I could have a great reason to wear em."

"Do you? Tell me, tell me right now why you're wearing sunglasses in pitch blackness."

"Uh...It makes things darker, so enemies can't see me."

"I- That's not how it works, Reagan."

"Shit- you're right- jesus, forget I said anything."

"Haha! You really thought- you dumbass!"

"I'm not the one who only wears one camo sock to 'blend in'."

"Don't make fun of Robin, Reagan!"

Jasper couldn't help but chuckle, it was almost like watching puppies squabble. Regardless, she cleared her throat and made them cut it out, motioning to start pushing towards the tunnel. The rest of the Rebels followed behind.

Lapis brushed over her pocket to make sure she brought her Walkman, immediate reassurance when the blocky device stuck out from it. She walked not in the back, but behind all the groups, a natural drift that always put her off; having nobody behind her made her feel like there was room for some unrealistic spook to sneak up on her. Luckily, there was a safety ward in the form of Amethyst moving her way against the group to meet up with her.

"Whew, long road out," She called, settling next to her.

"Hope we brought enough food for the trip."

"I'm sure we did, we just have to skip your rations." Lapis joked.

Amethyst chuckled. "You'll pry my torta from my cold, dead hands, Lazuli." The two laughed harder, slowed to a mumble when heads turned to them.

Eventually, the Caravan reached a tunnel leading out of the factory property. Jasper and the Rubies stopped pushing on command. A woman, tall and well equipped stood guard at the entrance of the tunnel. She raised her visor to see Rose and Jasper walk towards her, while Lapis discreetly got closer to listen.

"Hello, Garnet." Rose said.

"Rose." Garnet replied.

"Are the tunnels clear today?" Jasper asked.

Garnet nodded. "Pretty much. You're gonna wanna take the Red Line if you want to reach Beach City on time."

"Pretty much? Or is it clear?" Jasper narrowed her eyes.

Garnet smirked. "It's clear. I just finished a patrol."

Rose and Jasper nodded and turned back to the caravan. "We're good! Let's get a move on!"

The Rubies started pushing the cart, Jasper joining shortly after to help. Garnet looked down at Reagan, the little Ruby with the glasses.

"Nice shades."

"Thank you, Ms. Bournival. See Rudy, it's cool!" The rest of the group followed alongside.

The tunnel was dark and damp. A series of lanterns, lit with the soft glow of candles, hung along the walls to light the way. It was almost nice to transition from the dark, wide woods into the enclosed, well lit tunnel. Eventually, the Caravan reached a fork in the tracks, diverting off into many other paths.

"Lapis, change the tracks to the Red Line." Jasper barked, panting from exertion.

Lapis nodded and made a jaunt towards the turnout lever. Pulling it, she shifted the main tracks towards a tunnel decorated with a single red line on faded paint.

"You're clear!" Lapis yelled.

"Thank you, Lapis. Make sure to grab a lantern from the wall, you're in charge of light." Rose said.

Lapis nodded, fistbumping Amethyst and pulling a lantern off the wall. She held it to illuminate the dark tunnel, seeing from the front how far the passage went.

"This is gonna be a long walk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait. Had to reevaluate how we went about writing these.
> 
> Comments are much appreciated!


End file.
